| Greetings!
Hi Everyone! Yes, I'm nearly late on my Timely Tips this month -- I've been on an extended vacation to spend some extra time with my girls and to rehab my knee (which feels and is strong as new!) But, I haven't been completely lazy -- I've actually built a new speaking/training program on using Google Apps for Time Management, I'm working on a new book idea (very early stage!), and I'm prepping to make some new information products that I'll be announcing soon. Also, I have a pretty crazy August and September coming up, with visits to a large number of cities, including a local program here in Michigan you may have interest in. AND, I'm the featured guest on a f.r.e.e. telecourse program TOMORROW (registration information to the right). So much for a nice quiet vacation, eh?
As part of my research on my new "Time Management in 'The Cloud': Using Google Apps for Time, Life, Project, Task, Calendar, People & E-mail Management" course, I found a GREAT new app that you may find useful as a Google user. That is this months Timely Tip ...
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AWESOME Firefox Add-on for Google Users!
| This is ALWAYS the place to look for your Timely Tip!
I've been researching and building my new Google Time Management program the last few weeks (and we even had the opportunity to deliver a successful webinar on this topic recently for the Michigan Chapter of Meeting Professionals International), and, as part of this process, I've stumbled across a number of useful add-on applications and services that really help to enable this process.
Regardless of whether or not you plan to use Google apps for Time, Calendar, & E-mail management, if you are using any Google applications at all, AND you are a Firefox browser user (my favorite browser), you want to check out this VERY COOL APP!
Basically, it allows you to "tweak" the top bar of your Firefox browser so you can place an icon of your most-used Google applications to the immediate left of the URL address bar in your FF browser. Now, if you are planning to use Google apps for time & productivity management, it makes a ton of sense for you to use this to create "one-click" access to your Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Contacts, and Google Docs (in my program on Google Time Management, I show how you can use add-ons like Toodledo.com and/or Rememberthemilk.com to get to your prioritized task list in either your Google Calendar and/or your Gmail page.)
Now, even if you aren't using Google for time management purposes, you can certainly still set up the top bar for one-click access to Gmail, Google Search, Google Maps, iGoogle, Google Voice, YouTube, and so many more available Google applications. And it only takes about a minute to set it up to fit your needs.
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More follow up from May & June's discussion on Google apps for Time Management
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As I said above, I've been spending a good part of my time this summer further researching the possibilities of having a seamless and comprehensive time, e-mail, & personal information management system using Google applications and related third-party applications like Toodledo & Rememberthemilk.com. I just wanted you to know that after doing this research, I am even more confident that this can be a great solution for many of you -- especially those of you that are small business owners/independent professionals looking for yet another way to save costs in this tricky economy, AS WELL AS those of you that love your IPhone, IPad or Droid, but have been frustrated with how these devices don't fully "synchronize" with tools like Outlook.
As part of my research, I actually tested pulling all of my Outlook task, calendar, contacts, and notes data into Google and Toodledo. It took me all of an hour to pull 1,800+ contacts, 800+ calendar items, about 40 frequently-used notes, and about 300 task items over from Outlook. Now I have basically twin versions of my data in Outlook AND in my Google applications, which is remarkably handy, AND gives me yet one more layer of insurance with my data. I have also come to the conclusion that Toodledo.com is a better solution for me personally than Rememberthemilk.com, as it allowed me to quickly and easily pull over my task data using a .csv file (comma separated values) in a pretty slick two-step method.
Rememberthemilk.com does have one very cool capability for synchronizing with your Gmail account that may be of interest if you are NOT pulling over tasks from Outlook or another leading PIM program. Send me a note if you'd like to learn more.
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Happy Trails!
It has been a very nice little break this summer, but things heat back up (excuse the pun) over the next several weeks, with me visiting cities like South Bend (twice!!), Houston, Traverse City, Howell MI, DC (twice!!), Pittsburgh, Tucson, Phoenix (twice!!), Chicago (twice!!), Des Moines (twice!!), Grand Rapids, and Mt. Pleasant all before the end of September -- whoa!! Should be a pretty crazy streak coming up here. Let me know if we might cross paths, and perhaps we can grab a cup of coffee. Enjoy the "Dog Days" of summer coming up -- hard to believe July is almost over already! Until next time, Stay Timely!
Sincerely,
Randy Dean
Randall Dean Consulting & Training, LLC
or http://www.emailsanityexpert.com
PPS: Always feel free to use the "Forward E-mail" option below to share this info with your family, friends, & co-workers. |
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 AUGUST 24!
My Next Public Taming E-mail Session will Take Place in Howell, Michigan
| I'll be leading a 2-hour intensive morning session on Taming the E-mail Beast on Tuesday, August 24th in Howell, Michigan (halfway between Lansing & Farmington Hills on I-96).
This program is being co-sponsored by the Livingston County Area Human Resources Association and the Howell Chamber of Commerce. You can find out more now and register for this program by visiting the Howell Chamber web site.
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F.R.E.E. Taming E-mail Teleseminar TOMORROW!!
| I'll be the featured guest tomorrow on a "Success Stream" Teleseminar with host Stacy Karacostas. We'll be discussing several of my Taming E-mail strategies, but she may also bring up some of the Google for Time Management strategies I've been developing recently.
It should be a fun and engaging hour with a dynamic program host.
Use this link to register. (And if you can't make the time, register anyway -- she'll be making a replay available after the session.)
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I LOVE e-mails like this:
| Received this e-mail from one of the course attendees at my recent MWEA:
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Dear Randy,
I attended the MWEA
training session at Eagle Eye last week and would like to thank you for the
excellent session. Hopefully they will bring a session to the west side
of the state. It was probably the most useful seminar I have attended in
my 25+ years of working in this field.
I have taken your
information and put it to use. As of the class I had 1555 emails in my
inbox. As of yesterday at 1:25 p.m. I was down to zero. I have
announced at the Senior staff meeting and the meeting with my supervisory staff
that they should seriously consider attending the next time it is offered.
Jim Cook
Senior Operations
Supervisor
City of Kalamazoo
Thanks Jim!! It is notes like this that keep me motivated to keep finding more solutions for clients and program attendees. Please keep sharing the great comments and results!
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